The Lost Mughal

(Why would anyone come to read a prayer for me? Or to offer flowers?Why would anyone light a candle for me? I am just a tomb riddled with gloom)

These lines from a poem by Bahadur Shah Zafar reflect the lament of the poet-king, the last emperor of India who was sent to exile in Rangoon after the Revolt of 1857. He died there and was buried near the Shwedagon pagoda, the major Buddhist shrine in the Burmese capital. For any Indian or Pakistani who visits Burma — or Myanmar as it is now known as — a visit to the tomb of the last Mughal is de riguer.

Accordingly, on a recent visit to Rangoon, which is now rechristened Yangon, I, along with a Pakistani and Burmese friend made the trip to the former emperor’s mausoleum located in the Dagon Township of the city, a centrally located, leafy part of town.

It was close to noon when we reached there. The place is a fairly well-maintained one – built in a combination of Islamic and Burmese architectural styles. It is a recent construction, having been built in 1994. Or rather rediscovered in that year. For more than a hundred years, nobody knew where the grave of the poet-emperor was located. Contemporary records say that Zafar died in a small garage that served as his prison for almost five years. The garage was located in the sprawling residential compound of Captain Nelson Davies, the British officer-in-charge of Rangoon at that time. When the emperor died on November 7, 1862, arrangements were hurriedly made to bury him. The grave was covered with grass and a bamboo fence erected around it. It remained like this — fairly undisturbed — for over a century till restoration work in the area exposed the structure where the last of the Mughals lay.

Hafiz, the caretaker who greeted us as we entered the complex, spoke flawless Hindi although he had never visited India. He directed us to the basement where the actual remains of the emperor are kept.A protective railing shields the grave which is covered in satin sheets. A portrait of the emperor and verses in Urdu adorn the walls. Alongside are pictures of heads of state – mostly from India and Pakistan who have made visits here, among them Manmohan Singh and Asif Ali Zardari. Interestingly, Zafar – who remained an ardent follower of Sufism throughout his life – has in death become a pir or saint for local Myanmarese. They come to pray, sit in silent contemplation, light incense and offer chadar at his mazaar. The Mughal emperor’s lament – ‘who will come to read a prayer for me’ – has not come true as Bahadur Shah Zafar, in death, seems to have at least found the peace and acceptance that he could not in life.

Pir Zafar’s masoleum where devotees gather to pray

The actual grave of Bahadur Shah Zafar

Zafar – an ardent follower of Sufism –has in death become a pir or saint for local Myanmarese

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Author

Atul Sethi is currently the Bureau Chief of The Times of India in Dehradun. He has a keen interest in history and historicity and jumps at every opportunity to explore people, places and events that have a connection with the past. He lives in the hope that one of these days, some keen-eyed scientist will invent something actually useful, like a time machine, that will make zooming into the past a lot easier. Till that happens, he spends his time, exploring the past on his own and trying to put it in the context of the present.

Atul Sethi is currently the Bureau Chief of The Times of India in Dehradun. He has a keen interest in history and historicity and jumps at every opportunity. . .

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Author

Atul Sethi is currently the Bureau Chief of The Times of India in Dehradun. He has a keen interest in history and historicity and jumps at every opportunity to explore people, places and events that have a connection with the past. He lives in the hope that one of these days, some keen-eyed scientist will invent something actually useful, like a time machine, that will make zooming into the past a lot easier. Till that happens, he spends his time, exploring the past on his own and trying to put it in the context of the present.

Atul Sethi is currently the Bureau Chief of The Times of India in Dehradun. He has a keen interest in history and historicity and jumps at every opportunity. . .